Roman Anthony’s long-awaited return is nearing as he continues to work his way back from a torn ligament connected to the ring finger on his right hand.
Initially expected to be a short-term injury, Anthony hasn’t played since May 4. After setbacks and a lack of improvement, the Red Sox moved his rehab to Fort Myers at the organization’s spring training complex, where he spent over a month and a half.
The decision to move the lefty slugger’s rehab led to speculation that it was punishment for the 22-year-old, with some suggesting Anthony was distracted by his social life and not doing everything he could to recover from the injury more quickly because he was more focused on the nightlife.
Appearing on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow made it clear that wasn’t the case (full interview below).
“We were not punishing Roman. Roman doesn’t feel punished,” Breslow said. “He and I have a great relationship, and we communicate multiple times per day. I think what I had seen was Roman saying that being in Fort Myers and rehabbing sucked. And it can. It does. Both because you are not playing, which is what Roman has known his entire life. He’s not contributing and helping us win games. And the environment at a spring training complex in the middle of the summer is not exactly the same as playing in front of 35,000 people in Boston. But we reached the decision to send Roman to Fort Myers together, and felt like it was the thing that would get him back to the big league as fast as possible.”
Speaking with reporters ahead of Tuesday’s rehab game in Worcester, Anthony, a Florida native, opened up about how difficult his time rehabbing in Fort Myers was.
“It sucks, for sure,” he said. “Being there in the heat of the Florida summers and showing up there and not really anyone is there, it’s different. Rehabbing sucks as a whole, but when you’re rehabbing around the guys, and you’re around the team, and you get to watch the teams, and you’re not super disconnected, it’s great. Being in Fort Myers is a grind, for sure. Definitely made me appreciate being back up here and being around the guys.”
When asked whether there was any frustration to resolve with Anthony over the rehab process and his time in Fort Myers, Breslow said he doesn’t believe there is anything to resolve.
“I don’t think there is anything to resolve,” he said matter-of-factly. “I don’t think Roman feels punished. We certainly weren’t looking to punish him. I think it’s really quite as simple as that.”
Anthony began his rehab games last week, playing four games with Double-A Portland and going 3-for-11 (.273) with a home run, a double, three RBI and two walks. He posted a .993 OPS and a .357 OBP.
He joined Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, where he has played two games, going 2-for-8 (.250) with a home run, a single, a walk and three RBI while posting a .958 OPS.
Asked whether Anthony could return for this weekend’s four-game series in New York against the Yankees, Breslow wouldn’t put a definitive timeline on his return.
“He, Trevor [Story], Isaiah [Kiner-Falefa], they’re all getting very close to returning,” he said. “At some point in the rehab process you kind of shift from the medical perspective into a baseball perspective. And the conversations now aren’t about how you feel and how you're recovering; they start to become how your swing feels, how your timing is, and whether you feel explosive in the field and able to defend. I think we’re getting there. I don’t want to put a timetable on when they’ll return. We’re in communication, and we’re kind of taking things day to day at this point.”
